


Cat Got My Tongue

by Hunted_Mind



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Aggression, Angst, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Rage, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2020-12-17 11:00:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21053279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hunted_Mind/pseuds/Hunted_Mind
Summary: Fresh into his college years, Peter Parker meets a strange new thief striking the city.





	1. Last Day Together

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know the character tags and whatnot say "Felicia Hardy", but in the story, it is a genderbent version of the character. I couldn't find the right way to do it, and was too tired to try and fight the system.

-May-

"Seriously, dude?" The cry came from Ned, who stood behind Peter. "What?" "You're thinking about not going to M.I.T.?" Peter turned and looked at Ned, taken aback by his insider knowledge. "Who told you?" "Betty did." Ned leaned over and gestured to Betty Brant, his on again, off again girlfriend.

"Betty? Who told you?" The girl looked up from her phone, peering at him through her blonde bangs. "MJ told me." Peter turned around to shoot an anger filled glare at his girlfriend, who held her hands up in defense. "MJ! I told you that in confidence! What happened to the secret cuddle time rules?"

MJ buttoned her satchel bag up and slung it in her shoulder as she walked past. She turned back to face Peter as she walked out, and shrugged. "What's her problem?" "Yeah, Betty, what's her problem?" Both boys looked at the girl, who crammed her phone into her pocket. "She's pissy with you," Betty poked Peter in the chest, "Because you're thinking about not going to M.I.T., where you, her, Ned, and me will be able to continue our friendship." She strutted off, and Ned began to follow suit, turning to tell Peter "I... I'm gonna find out more. Call me later dude. I'm always your guy in the chair, M.I.T. or not."

Peter shrugged it off and left the school, thinking that some patrolling might clear his head. There was only a few weeks until they graduated, meaning that he had to make a choice on wether he was going to college or staying in NYC to be Spider-Man.

MJ knocked on the door of the Parker's apartment. The same routine she had had since she and Peter got back from their school trip to Europe. May answered, and invited her in for some tea and "girl time" as they called it, which was usually just the two of them watching TV together and talking about Peter.

A few hours passed, and the front door started unlocking, opening to reveal Peter slinking in, carrying a large box on his shoulder. "Oh, what's that box for, sweetie?" May shuffled over to him, holding the door open. "Oh, Doug, that 'nerdy guy' downstairs was getting rid of some old action figures so he could update his collection, told me to take them. As a... Graduation present." He sat the box on the kitchen table, and flipped it open. May grabbed her keys off the hook by the door, and turned to face Peter and MJ. "Okay, I have a shift down at the shelter, I'll be back later tonight. Don't be throwing any parties, you two! Love you, Peter." He looked up from the box, two figures in each hand, and waved. "Bye May!"

Peter started going through the box again, and MJ sat next to him at the table. "Pete... We need to talk about what we're doing after school is up." Peter, who was now leaned into the box, started speaking, muffled slightly. "Uh, well... I was thinking about taking a break, y'know? It's not like I _have_ to go to college straight out of school, right? I mean, I can take a break, get a job, and save enough money to get a good apartment near one of the colleges."

"But what about _us_, Pete? You and me? I'm going to Harvard, straight out of school, and so is Betty. And Ned's going to M.I.T.! Your best friend, his girlfriend, your girlfriend, and your dream college are all going to be at the same place, and you want to stay here? In New York City? Living with your aunt, stopping every mugging you see, doing that alone?"

Michelle was now standing, staring at Peter, who had put a pause on going through the box of figures. "Yeah, MJ... I'm sorry. I really want to be with you, I do, but NY _needs_ me... They need Spider-Man. And I can't go to Cambridge and just commute back and forth between there and here. I... I just can't put myself ahead of the city." As she got angrier, she started screaming at him, and they both boiled down into a screaming match, which started to end when Peter stomped off to his room.

"Don't think you can just end an argument because you went to your room, asshole!" Michelle's words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, until the door swung open, and she came face to face with Peter. He had half of his Spider-Man suit on, and he was holding in so much rage at the moment that his face was as red as the suit.

"Michelle, I have had a very, very, very long, and very rough day. Do you know what day it is? I'm sure you don't, because even though I haven't spoken to _anyone_ on this very day each year, for the last four years, you seem to only care about and notice things about yourself. Four years ago, today, my Uncle Ben was shot in the chest and bled to death on a sidewalk. You know who's fault that was? Mine. So I have had a long day dealing with your pissy attitude, on top of being worried about my Aunt, who didn't mention the day at all, and is instead working down at a homeless shelter. So you know what, Michelle? I'm leaving. I'm leaving to go cool down before one of us gets hurt. I will say this once, and only once. You and me, are done. You can show yourself out."

Peter's soft, restrained voice bothered MJ, and unnerved her severely. He quietly shut the door, and she heard his window slide open and shut.

Peter went to the roof, and cried silently, questioning why he said the things he said.

\---------------------------------------------------

As he swung through the city, Peter's spider-sense warned him about a nearby alarm tripped. He headed towards the MOMA, where the alarm was tripped. Several armed men were dead outside, and he swung around to do a perimeter sweep. "Karen, is there a good vent to sneak in through?" Sitting on the roof, he took the first deep breath he had taken since he went out that night.

"Southwest corner of the roof, an air duct heads straight to the main viewing room." Peter followed the directions through the duct on his HUD, and dropped onto a support beam for the lights. A quick scan of the building showed that no one was inside, and he dropped to the floor. Several large paintings were missing from their frames, and a small piece of graffiti art marked the wall next to each frame. A small, black cat nuzzling each frame's edge was painted along them, confusing Peter. "Karen, can you run a world-wide search for this cat image?"

"Several results came up. The cat has been spotted in hundreds of museums, ranging from those involving art to history, over the last thirty years. Every item the cat appeared near was stolen soon after the cat showed up. Rumors circle many communities about the Black Cat, a legendary art thief that has never been caught. No federal agencies reference said thief, but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leaked files contain a few mentions of a 'Felicity Hardy', who gave information to the NYPD about the New York Maggia crime families, and died soon after. She had no family, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files claim she _was_ the Black Cat."

Karen cut off as multiple cop cars pulled up, and Peter snapped a quick photo of the cat before returning to the vents and escaping.


	2. Party Hardy

-September-

Peter hopped off the train as it blew through the station in Boston, and swung to the meeting spot he and Ned had picked out. He landed there and quickly put his civilian clothes on over his suit, stuffing his mask, gloves, and boots into the backpack he carried. He waited there impatiently, soon drifting off into a quick nap.

He woke up to Ned tapping his forehead, his spider-sense notifying him of his presence. He stood up, face to face with Ned, who held his arms outstretched. "Dude, Ned! You're taller, man!" The pair hugged, and started walking off towards Ned's apartment.

"So, Pete, there's this party I'm going to tonight... You wanna come with me and Betty?" They kept walking, stopping for a moment at a street vendor. "Totally man... Hey, have you heard anything about this art thief called the Black Cat? Apparently she's legendary, but she's also been dead for a while." Ned looked at him, confused. "You mean _he_, right? The Black Cat is a he, and yes, I heard all about him in art class last year. But he's been dead for a _long_ time, dude. Like, fifty years." Peter stopped in his tracks, and Ned turned to face him. "So the one running around now is a new one."

He started back up on the path, and Ned followed. "Oh, Pete, I almost forgot. You know OsCorp, right?" Peter nodded, and finished eating the chili dog in his hand. "Well, they've got a lab on campus, but it's really suspicious. Almost no one leaves it, but people constantly go in. I figured you could check it out while you're in town." Peter nodded again. "I'll check it out after the party tonight."

\---------------------------------------------------

"It's at a Frat house?" Peter and Ned stood in front of the house the party was at. "I mean, yeah, but check it out. They've got the place turned into a nightclub for their parties." Ned showed him a few photos he had taken before. They made their way inside, and Peter was instantly hit with a sensory overload between the flashing lights and loud music. "Hey, if you need it a little quieter, there's a bar downstairs, where it's all calmer and quieter than up here." Ned's advice was taken by Peter, who thanked him before hurriedly going downstairs to the nearly silent bar.

He stepped up to the counter, and flagged down the bartender, a fairly lanky college guy in a t-shirt advertising some local band. "I'll uh, I'll have a beer." The bartender reached below the counter and handed Peter a beer before walking back to where he was before, talking to a girl sitting at the bar. A boy stepped up the bar, and flagged the bartender. The boy looked at Peter, recognising him.

"You're Peter, right? I'm friends with Betty Brant, she told me all about you." The boy tucked his silvery hair behind his ear as he extended his hand to shake Peter's. "I... Yeah, I'm Peter Parker. And uh, you are?" He took his hand and shook it, before taking another drink of his beer. "I'm Felix. Felix Hardy. I uh, I gotta say that you are _much_ more handsome in person than Betty's photos let on."

Peter felt the warmth of slight embarrassment cross his face, glad it was unnoticeable in the dim lighting of the bar. "So where do you go to school, Pete?" "Uh, ESU, in New York." Felix's jaw dropped, and he let out a chuckle. "No way! I'm getting ready to transfer there this month!" Peter and Felix discussed school and friends for what felt like forever, the two of them slowly moving back upstairs as they talked.

As they entered the main room, Felix took a step towards the dance floor. "Care to join me?" Peter looked confused, and pointed at himself, mouthing "Me?" silently. "Of course you, silly! Come on!" Felix grabbed his hand and dragged him to the middle of the room, sidling up to him in the large crowd. Felix began to dance to the music, while Peter awkwardly shuffled in place. Felix laughed hard when he noticed his dancing skill, or rather, lack thereof. "Do you even know how to dance, Pete? Here, follow my lead!"

Peter watched as Felix danced in a way that he'd consider seductive, grinding himself against Peter. He looked up, and noticed a familiar face in the upper balcony area, staring down at him. "MJ?" "What?" Felix stopped dancing, face to face with Peter, who noticed Ned next to Betty and MJ, holding his wrist up and tapping it. Suddenly, the song playing changed to a much slower one, which Peter found strange.

"I hope you're at least half good at this sort of dance, Parker." Felix drew Peter's attention back to him, his face looking like he'd seen a ghost. "I... I am so sorry, Felix, but I have to go." Felix quickly hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear. "That's okay, I understand. Raincheck then, Petey boy. By the way, my number's in your pocket." Felix pulled away from him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

Peter ran off, rubbing his cheek somewhat excitedly as he left. Felix chased after him, catching him in the middle of the street outside. "Peter!" He turned around at the sound of his name, stopping in place. "Yeah?" "I just... Oh, fuck it." Felix clasped his hands against Peter's head, and pulled him down into a deep kiss. Peter was left speechless, so Felix filled the silence. "You go, take care of whatever you have to take care of, I'll be here, waiting for you if you can come back before the night's over, okay?" Peter nodded, and quickly ran off down the street.

\---------------------------------------------------

"Okay Ned, I'm getting into the OsCorp lab. What am I looking for, exactly?" Peter opened the call with Ned while he slid through the vents into the large building marked with the OsCorp logo. "I don't know man, I just said it looked suspicious, I never mentioned a lead or anything like that." Peter dropped to the floor, and peered around the corners of the hallway to look down them.

"Well, there's no cameras here, which is really weird. No guards either it seems." He continued throughout the building, until he found a door marked "Experiment Storage". He slipped in, and started walking around. He peeked through the windows on each door, spotting a figure in each room. "Ned, they're keeping _people_ here. In a sub-wing called Experiment Storage."

"That's fucked up man." "Yeah, I'm gonna try and open one." "What? No, no, no! What if OsCorp finds out you were there?" "Trust me, they won't." Peter ripped one of the doors off its hinges, and stepped into the cell. "Hello, sir? Are you... Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He edged closer to the man standing in the corner of cell, who suddenly leapt onto Peter. He blacked out for a moment, waking up to Ned yelling into his phone, with the man collapsed on the floor next to him.

"Peter, are you okay?" "Yeah man, just blacked out. Argh, that's a banging headache. What happened?" He stood up, and squatted low to inspect the man. "Dude, that was some Evil Dead shit. He was in the corner, and you were all 'Are you okay?' and then he jumped on you and puked this black stuff all over you." He looked down at his suit, seeing no trace of the black vomit.

"Hey, Ned, I'm gonna let you go, alright? Go ahead and go back to the party, I'll call you tomorrow." "Alright man. Stay safe." The call disconnected, and Peter began feeling woozy.


	3. Moving Day

-October, three weeks later-

Peter stood on the tip of the Empire State Building's antenna, breathing deeply as he listened to the police scanner Karen tapped into. He leapt off of the antenna, and started a high speed nosedive to the ground. He caught himself at the last second, swinging away. He heard screaming coming from an alleyway, a woman pleading for help. He hurriedly got to the alleyway, dropping behind the two men blocking the woman.

"Hey assholes!" The two men turned around, and he began beating them both senselessly, while the woman ran away. One pulled a gun, and Peter felt as though he had been removed from his body, forced to watch as some dark, black creature extended from his body and ate the man's arm before eating the rest of him and the other one.

"Oh my God! What the fuck?! What just happened? What did I just do?" He fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands. _What did_ we _do, you mean_. "What? Who's there?" _We are here. Us, your emotion... Your rage... Your anger... Your... Wrath. Yes, that is a nice sounding name, we think we will take it. Call us Wrath_. "Why did we do that?" _You said it yourself_. Assholes. _We are here to exact vengeance and Wrath upon those that harm the innocent, if that is what_ you _want_.

"I... I... I'm gonna be sick." Peter collapsed, passing out against the pavement.

\---------------------------------------------------

He opened his eyes, laying on his mattress in his apartment. He got up and shuffled over to the bathroom for a shower, peeling his eyes open. After drying off, he checked his pants pockets while he put them on, finding a piece of paper with a phone number on it. "Felix... Shit, I forgot to call him. I... I don't have time now, I'll do it later. After work."

\---------------------------------------------------

"Okay, May, this is the last load of beds. There's still a few more loads of food and clothes though, so that'll take a minute." Peter sat the last stack of bunk bed kits down on the floor of the gymnasium, next to the others. "This new shelter is nice. It's amazing how cheap Mr. Li got this old school building for." He ran back out to the semi truck behind the building, grabbing multiple boxes marked for food.

As he sat the boxes down in the kitchen, he looked through the window to see a head of silver hair move through the crowd of people, entering the shelter. He ran through the hallway leading to the registration desk, coming into the foyer. Felix was standing there, speaking to Sam, the girl running the front desk. "Felix?" Peter ran over to him, getting his attention. "Peter, hey!" Felix hugged him, and flashed a quick smile. 

"Hey, uh, what are you doing here?" "Oh, well, Felicia and I are gonna be homeless for a little while since we just moved to town, so I figured I'd bring her here for lunch while I look for a place. Oh, you haven't met Felicia!" Felix stepped over, revealing a shy, silver-haired six year old girl. He pushed her forward a little, and squatted down, with Peter following suit. "Felicia, this is my buddy Peter. He works here. I think." Peter nodded in response, and smiled as he held his hand out to Felicia. "Hi Felicia, I'm Peter. Are you Felix's sister?" She shook his hand, and nodded softly.

"Well, Sam here will take good care of you!" He patted Felicia on the head, and stood back up. "So, uh, Felix... You want me to go with you to look for a place, and maybe we could, I don't know, get a bite to eat?" Felix told Felicia to go with Sam, giving her a hug and kiss on the forehead before turning back to Peter. "Sure, that'd be nice."

\---------------------------------------------------

Peter and Felix sat in the cafe, drinking their coffee. "What happened to your parents, if you don't mind me asking." Peter was scared Felix would find his question too intrusive, but he was greeted with a proper answer. "Well, Dad was never really around, and Mom died, what, like, six or seven years ago. I managed to make a pretty convincing case for me and Felicia to avoid a foster home situation, we lived with our grandmother for a while, but I decided it was time to move after some thinking." The pair fell silent for a little while, before Felix cut back in. "So... Real estate in NY sucks, at least for a single, eighteen year old college student with an six year old sister." Felix's remark earned a sympathetic chuckle from Peter, who felt bad that he hadn't been able to find them a place. "I guess we'll see if Grandma has any old friends we can stay with for a while..." Felix's statement clicked in Peter's head, and he smiled.

"Come live with me." "What? But, don't you have like, a girlfriend?" Peter leaned back, releasing a hearty laugh before answering Felix with a smile. "No, but I live in a two-bedroom studio apartment. Got it cheap thanks to Time Square's insanely bright billboards, but some blackout curtains fixed that. Plenty of room for you and Felicia to share a room, and plenty of room for any toys she might get." Felix looked starstruck, stammering for a minute before getting an actual word out.

"Toys?" Peter looked at him softly, and without realizing it, put his hand on Felix's. "Well, yeah, I'm not gonna have a little girl live with me and force her to live with no toys." Felix's stammering returned, and Peter placed a finger against his mouth. "Dude, it's fine. I've got a friend, she's got a daughter Felicia's age, I'll see if she has any old toys and clothes." Suddenly, Felix grabbed him like he had before outside of the party back in Boston, and kissed him, reigniting Peter's feelings. "You sir... You are fucking amazing."

"I... I'm gonna go back to my apartment, make sure it's clean, and whatnot. Do you wanna go back to F.E.A.S.T. and get Felicia ready, and I'll come and get you guys?" Peter was sort of anxious to get up now, edging towards the door. Felix got close, placing a hand on Peter's thigh. "I mean, it's not what I _want_ to do, but it'll work. Go on tiger, I'll get my sister."

Peter ran out of the cafe, and down the nearby alley, quickly changing into his costume. He made his way to the roof, and swung off towards his apartment.


	4. Moving Day pt. 2

Peter finally got his apartment clean after an hour of scouring the place for trash, and decided to patrol for a bit before getting Felix and Felicia moved in. He headed towards F.E.A.S.T., sure that he would catch a few crimes on the way. Near ESU, his attention was drawn to a penthouse owned by some pretentious musician.

He did a quick survey, and found armed men similar to the dead ones at the MOMA outside, waiting in a truck. He snuck into the apartment, looking around for the cause for his alertness of the building. "Oh, where the hell is this damn painting? Prick _had_ to make his place _so_ confusing to go through." The voice was coming from a nearby hallway, and Peter started walking over.

He came face to face with a silver-haired boy in a mask and skintight black suit, stalking along the hallway. "Ooh, that's a nice one. I'll come back later for you, pretty." He tagged a cat next to the painting as he walked past. Peter snuck up on him, but realised too late that he'd been noticed already, when the boy grabbed Peter by the wrist and slammed him against the floor.

"Spider-Man? So, you like stalking young boys in houses now?" Peter groaned quietly, and glared at him. "Give it up. I know you're here to steal some painting, you've got company waiting outside, and judging by the cat tag you did, I'd say you're the Black Cat." Black Cat chuckled, and let go of him. "So, you're smarter than they say." Peter let out a short laugh, smirking under his mask. "No, you're just terrible about announcing your plan out loud when you think you're alone."

"Well, whatev's, Spidey. Have fun catching me!" Black Cat began sprinting down the hall, using his claws to catch the corner of the wall and turn. "Shit." Peter ran after him, using his webs to gain speed. _First time I actually catch him in the act, and I won't even catch him._ He made his way to the open study the thief ran into, finding him cutting out a painting. "Drop it, please. I don't want to hurt you." Black Cat turned to him, and pouted. "Aw, I guess that's where we differ. Too bad, you are pretty cute. At least, you _sound_ pretty cute."

Black Cat pounced on him, slashing his chest before leaping away and running for the foyer. Peter chased after him, groaning in pain. He stopped abruptly in the entryway of the penthouse, seeing that the armed men from the truck had their weapons aimed at the thief. "Wait, no!" Peter cried the words out as he ran in front of him, and Wrath enraveled around him.

"No, no, no! Wrath, no!" _No what? We only want the armed men, not the kitty._ Before Peter could respond, Wrath ate the men, swallowing them whole before returning to its invisible state. "Oh my God, you ate those guys! I mean, I was gonna kill them, but _still_!" Peter looked at the thief, who was horrified at what he saw. "It's... It's not what you think." Black Cat grabbed the painting from the floor, backing away. "Doesn't matter. See you later, Spider."

Black Cat quickly leapt to the door, giving Peter a wave and blowing him a kiss as he slipped through and left. Peter ran out, swinging to a nearby roof. He peeled the torso of his suit from his sweat soaked chest, observing the wound. "It'll heal. Eventually."

\---------------------------------------------------

Peter ran into the building, spotting Felix and Felicia waiting there, talking to May. "Hey you two, ready to go?" Felix and Felicia looked at Peter, who was out of breath. "Yeah, we're ready when you are." Felix had their bags behind them, waiting and ready. He was looking at a small, almost unnoticeable red streak on the t-shirt Peter had on under his flannel button down, forming a familiar line diagonally across his chest.

Felix's brain immediately started connecting the dots, worrying hard about what Peter knew about him. _Oh dear lord, he's Spider-Man. He knows. He's gotta know. I'm so stupid! I need to start wearing a wig with my costume! My silver hair is so fucking recognisable, damn it, why didn't I think of that?_ As much as Felix worried about whether he knew or not, the truth was that Peter, the most clueless person on Earth, had no notion to even _infer_ that Felix was the latest person to take on the mantle of the legendary Black Cat.

"Let's go then. May, I'll swing by tomorrow after work to help with the kitchen, okay?" Peter grabbed the bags behind Felix, and smiled at Felicia. "Uh huh. Oh, Peter, since you're taking on Felix and Felicia, here's some cash for pizza tonight." May held out a wad of cash, but Peter waved it away. "No, I couldn't do that, May, you need that money." "Uh uh, Mister, take it." Felicia began chanting "Pizza, pizza, pizza!", to which Peter gave in and took the cash.

"I hope you know how much of a manipulative stinker you are, missy!" Peter tapped the girl on the nose, making her giggle uncontrollably. "Come on guys, we gotta catch the train!"

\---------------------------------------------------

The trio had just finished off their third large pizza of the night, paired with a second two liter of orange soda, and now Peter and Felicia were wearing off the energy by playing around the apartment. Felix sat close by, grinning widely as he watched the two. They were playing tag, running around the living room, and Felicia was being chased when she accidentally bumped into a table and knocked a candle off that shattered on the floor.

"Uh oh." Felix mumbled the words as Felicia began to tear up. Peter rushed to her side, kicking glass shards all over. "Hey hey hey, it's okay, it's okay. It was just an accident, right? No need to cry, see? I'm not mad, Felix ain't mad, so you're not in trouble!" Peter gestured towards Felix, and accidentally swiped a candle straight off of the table, breaking it instantly. "Oh boy... Okay, you go watch cartoons with your brother for a bit, and I'll clean this mess up. How's ice cream sound? That sound good?" Felicia nodded, and Peter picked her up and sat her on the couch.

\---------------------------------------------------

Felix and Peter sat on the couch, watching some cartoon about bears, while lazily finishing the pizza on the coffee table. "I think... I think I'm gonna head to bed." Felix started standing up, and Peter did too. "I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed, good night." The pair split off, Felix stopping at the doorway of the room where he and Felicia would be sleeping. "Good night, love."

-

Peter stepped out of the bathroom, looking at his hair in the mirror on the back of his bedroom door. A figure moved in his bed, and Peter snapped into a combat pose. "Jesus, calm down, it's just me." Felix sat up, his hair flipped over his face. Peter quickly grabbed the throw blanket at the end of his bed to cover himself. "What're you doing in here?" "Sleeping, you asshole. Felicia keeps hogging the blanket and I figured you wouldn't care about sharing a bed." Peter managed to get some underwear on, and sat on the bed.

He laid next to Felix, who snuggled in close to him and wrapped his arm around him. "Don't even _think_ about getting fresh with me, Parker, I'm in your bed for sleep, and sleep only." "I-" "Shush it. Sleep."


	5. An Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a note that a friend suggested I add, so here's how it goes. If at any point a character seems to be doing something/acting out of character, don't worry about it. I know what I'm planning, but none of you do, so that's the fun of it. Anyways, enjoy the next chapter.
> 
> -Hunted_Mind

Peter woke up alone, the smell of bacon and eggs filling the air. He got dressed, and stepped into the kitchen to get food. "Hey Parker, stay quiet, kid's still sleeping." Felix stood there, wearing nothing but Peter's apron, dancing and mouthing along to the music playing from his phone. Peter walked over to the stove and grabbed a piece of sausage out of the pan, and Felix smacked his hand. "Hey! Hands off the goods!" Peter rubbed his hand, and got in the fridge for orange juice.

Felix came over to where he was pouring his juice, and leaned against the counter. "Listen, I... I'm sorry if I come off as... Irritable? I guess? It's something I got from my mom. At least, that's what my grandma always said. I just... I wanted to make breakfast as a thank you for letting me and Felicia stay here." He wrapped his arms around Peter's midsection, pulling him in tight and nuzzling into his chest a little. "You're... welcome?" Peter patted his hand against his back awkwardly, unsure of what to do. "That better be your phone poking me, Parker." "I gotta... I gotta get to work."

-

"Hey Parker, how's it going?" Peter sighed, slamming his head into his keyboard before sitting straight and turning to his colleague Craig. "Hey, you have experience with guys, don't you?" Craig shot him a questionable look and chuckled. "Uh, yeah, but like, what kind? Friendship, dating, sex-" "All of it, all of it. Listen, I-I've got this guy and his sister living with me, I met him at a party, and we've kissed a couple times... He's just like, really passive-aggressively sexual with me, it seems."

"Well, how?" "Um... For example, last night, I take a shower, come out, and he's in my bed! Wearing nothin' but underwear! He tells me he's sleeping there cause his sister's hogging the blanket, and then when I lay down, he gets all snuggled up against me, so I wrap my arm around him, and he tells me to not "_try and get fresh with me_"." Peter made air quotes with his hands while doing a spot on impression of Felix's breathy voice from the night before.

"Wow. Um... I really don't know what to tell you, man. I mean, I'm not really the dominant type, so I don't have experience there, and all of the guys I've been with were really straightforward about what they wanted." Peter sighed, and Craig drank from his coffee. A door opened at the end of the office, and a man with fading black hair and a mustache leaned out. "Parker! Johnson! Get back to work!" Both men rushed back to their proper seats and started clacking on their keyboards. "Sorry, Mister Jameson, sir!" Peter called out to receive no answer, as their boss had returned to his office.

-

Peter rushed through the lobby of the Daily Bugle, eager to get out the door so as to get to the cafe on time to get some food quick enough to get back before his lunch break was over. He shoved his way through the rotating door, and slammed straight into a woman. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Please, let me help you-" Peter started picking her things up, and when he looked up to hand them to her, he recognised her. "Uh, hey, Michelle! W-weird seeing you here! Considering you don't even live in this state, eh?"

"Yeah, uh, I'm here for a job interview." She took her books back, and watched as he stood up. "Oh, where are you headed?" MJ flashed an awkward half-smile, and looked down at her feet as they tapped against the sidewalk. "Uh, here, at the Daily Bugle. I saw online that they were hiring, so I figured I could at least try." Peter chuckled, and crossed his arms casually as they stood together. "I was about to go out for my lunch break, do you want to go with me? We can catch up real quick and then you can get your interview done when we get back." He watched as she let out an exasperated sigh, and her hands slapped against her sides. "Sure, how could I resist?"

-

"-and then, by the time he got done schooling these frat Bros at pool, he'd practically gotten a hundred bucks from nearly every person at the party." MJ's story left Peter surprised, as he had never seen nor heard _any_ mention of Ned's apparent pool skills in the entire six year span he'd known him. "Really? That's... Weird. How come he didn't tell me? I mean, we practically talk every day, even though we're not physically close anymore." MJ shrugged, and took a drink of her coffee.

"Oh, they're thinking about moving back, Ned and Betty. They were saying something about how Harvard and M.I.T. were a little too much stress without their friends to back them up. That, and they miss you, man." Peter laughed, nearly choking on his sandwich. "They miss me? How could they miss me? I mean, we talk _all_ the time!" Peter managed to get the words out past the half a sandwich he had crammed into his mouth. "What are you talking about Peter? Ned told me he hasn't heard from you since the party around Labor Day. That was almost two months ago." "Huh, well, whatever." Peter shrugged, and kept strutting back in the direction of the Daily Bugle.

As they entered the elevator to the top floor, MJ turned to Peter. "Listen, I'm... Sorry. About the fight we had back in May. I know we practically haven't talked since then, but I wanted to apologise." "I'm sorry too. I said some things that were out of line." The rest of the elevator ride, which actually short, but just felt like forever, was very awkwardly silent. Thankfully, the ding signalling they had reached their destination broke the ice in the air, letting them both let go of the deep breaths they had been holding in as they went their separate ways.

MJ headed over to the secretary's desk in front of the Chief Editor's office, and handed over some papers. The door opened, and Peter and Craig watched from their cubicles as Mr. Jameson led her into his office for the interview. They returned to their work, and two hours passed before MJ came strutting into Peter's cubicle, flashing a genuine DB faculty ID card with her name and photo on it. "Suck it IT dweeb, I am now Michelle Jones, Journalist Liaison."

"Nice! Congrats on getting the job!" Peter and MJ high-fived. "Yep, I start tomorrow." She continued her strut until she reached the elevator, Peter and Craig watching her the entire time. "So, which of us is gonna tell her?" Peter let out air like a deflating balloon before answering Craig. "I don't know..."


	6. Final Straw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry for not uploading, but I had a bunch of problems in November that kept me from writing, including my phone deleting half my drafts for chapters, but now it will be back to normal from here on out.

The work day was done, and Peter needed to vent. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, impatiently pacing in the Daily Bugle's lobby while he waited for an answer. The squeaking of the old rotary door was giving him a stabbing headache, getting worse with each squeak. "Hey, it's Sam, I can't come to the phone right now, leave a message." Peter sighed, and drew in a deep breath before speaking. "Hey Sam, it's Peter. I was wondering if we could meet soon and talk, but uh, I guess you're busy, so I'll try again tomorrow."

Peter crammed his phone into his pocket, stomping out of the lobby. Irritation filled his mind as he shoved through the crowd of leaving workers. _"This is just... Great. First I have a weird night with Felix, and then Mister Jameson yelled at me earlier and threatened to fire me, and then my ex-girlfriend shows up and gets a job!"_ _Huh. You know what's a fun thing to do when you're stressed, Peter?_ _"What's that?"_ _Murder. _Peter stopped in his tracks on the sidewalk as Wrath made the suggestion, and started to get suspicious.

_"Wrath, I don't think you need to be around anymore."_ _Why not?_ _"Because, all you think about is killing and eating people. I think you need to exit my body or whatever it is you do to leave me, and just leave permanently."_ _No_. _"The_ _fuck do you mean, "no"? It's my body, get out!"_ _You_ _were the first suitable host we have seen in a long time. If we leave you, we will die._ _"Good__, then do that. Leave me and die."_

Wrath formed a fluidic cover over Peter's body, as he had done at the penthouse with the armed men. "We. Said. No." Peter slowly drifted out of consciousness as Wrath took over, blacking out.

\---------------------------------------------------

Peter came to, seeing he was standing inside the main hall of a church. "What the hell am I doing here?" Wrath still covered his body, and spoke back. " We brought you here to speak privately." Peter instantly started desperately trying to scratch at the symbiote's form that coated his body, desperate to remove Wrath.

Peter and Wrath's pained screams echoed in the small room they stood in as Peter tore chunk after chunk of the symbiotic flesh off of his body. The symbiote bonded back against him, forcing itself onto him. "Peter, let us talk." "Fine. What have you done to me since you 'attached' to me? Why am I suddenly having a hard time remembering things properly?" Wrath let out a noise that sounded like a mix of a growl and a sigh.

"We may have... _altered_ your memories, created new ones you'd never experienced." "What all have you messed with? Felix? Is everything with him real?" "Yes, Felix is real. We only altered your memories involving your other friends, the ones who knew you before we bonded. They posed a true threat of removing us."

"Please, leave me alone. Separate from me, find a new host, something, anything!" "Sorry, Peter, we cannot do that. It is a real... pain, to find a new host. Especially one of your caliber." Suddenly the church's bell struck, and Wrath fell to his knees, screeching horribly as the ringing echoed throughout the church.

Peter noticed the sound as Wrath's weakness, and took the chance to regain control of his body, climbing up to the bell tower. Wrath's screeches became louder and more painful as they got closer to the ringing bell, but the bell stopped by the time they reached it. Peter struck the bell, causing it to ring again, which made Wrath start screaming again.

Peter began to scratch and rip the symbiote off of him, tearing chunks of it off and throwing them until he was finally seperated, and Wrath disappeared from his sight. He felt weak and lightheaded, dragging himself along the floor to reach a nearby box to help himself stand up. After regaining his balance and focus, he slowly made his way back down and out of the church before heading off for his apartment.

\---------------------------------------------------

Peter unlocked the door of his apartment, walking in to see Felix and Felicia sitting on the couch watching cartoons. "Hey, you're late. Your fridge note said you got off work at four, and it's six o'clock." Felix walked over. "Yeah, I just... ran into an old ex of mine," Peter sighed "Total hassle."

"Well, I'm just glad you're not like, injured or anything, cause I was starting to worry." Felix wrapped his arms around Peter's stomach, pulling into him for a hug, which Peter was pretty happy to receive after his fight with Wrath. "I'm fine, I just need a shower and a nap." Felix flashed a toothy grin, and let go of him. "Well, go on and shower."

-

Peter made sure the shower was scalding hot when he got in, running his hair under the showerhead as he prepared his shampoo bottles. As he cleaned himself off, his mind kept racing over everything that'd happened today and everything that Wrath could have hid from him.

He played back the events from the penthouse the other day, and how the Black Cat was in person. After a few minutes of thinking it over, he realised that Felix was the only other person he knew with silver hair, which meant he was most likely the Black Cat, although purely for the sake of hoping he wasn't, Peter still considered that there could be at least one other person in New York with silver hair.

He finished up his shower, and stepped out to dry himself off. As he wrapped the towel around his waist, there was a knock on the bathroom door. "Come in!" The door opened to reveal Felix standing there, awkwardly pressing his fingertips together repeatedly as he had waited. "Hey Felix, what's up?" The other boy stepped into the room. "You remember that frat party in Cambridge, right?"

Peter nodded, and Felix relaxed. "You remember how we left off, right? I told you I'd be waiting for you if you could come back to the party and join the fun." Peter chuckled, and looked down at his feet before looking back at Felix. "Yeah, I'm... I'm sorry I didn't come back that night, Felix, I just ended up swamped with work-" "Shut up, you ass, I'm trying my damnedest to be sexy and you're ruining the mood. I also left you with this." Felix leaned on the tips of his toes to reach near Peter's height, and kissed him deeply.

He pushed Peter down into the folding chair next to the shower, climbing in his lap as he kissed him again. "Felix, wait, I have to tell you something." Peter held him back, giving himself time to speak. What he was about to say killed him to admit, but he had to if he was going to live in a little normalcy. "I know you're the Black Cat."


	7. Talking it Out

Peter and Felix locked eyes, each hoping the other would break the painful silence in the air. "So... How long have you known?" The words left a slight sting in the air, but Peter was relieved to know that he hadn't just falsely accused his roommate.

"Since the other day, when you guys moved in." Felix nodded, locking eyes with him. "How'd you figure it out?" Peter straightened his back. "I... I have to tell you something. I'm-" "Spider-Man? Yeah, I figured that one out." "What? How?" Felix chuckled before tracing a finger along the scar on his chest. "Pretty obvious. I left a pretty bad mark on you."

"I-Felix, why? Why steal things like that?" Felix got up, leaning against the sink, half sitting on it. "Family business, practically. Long-term debt us Hardy's owe to the Maggia for getting us to America during the World War. Nowadays, my uh, my 'debt' is to either do the work for them, or they... They kill me and Felicia, and I'm not losing her again."

"I don't like stealing stuff, Pete, I do it for her. I don't like killing either, but sometimes the Maggia like to try and go back on the deal, keeps me light on my feet." Peter ran his hands through his hair, exhaling deeply as he processed all that information. "I can keep you guys safe, you don't have to keep doing this, Felix!" Felix laughed, before regaining his composure.

"No, no you can't. You don't understand. The Maggia are good at finding people. What do you think happened to my Dad? My Mom? They tried to get out of it, and look where that got them. Six feet under the dirt." Peter stood up, holding the towel around his waist as he put a hand on Felix's shoulder. "Felix, please, let me help you. I have friends, people who can hide or protect you two."

Felix smacked his arm away, tearing up. "Like who, Pete? The Avengers? God damnit, I'm trying to keep _you_ andher safe, not me. I'm not gonna let my problems get you killed! I can't have that on my conscience." Peter reached back out to him. "Felix, I know what it's like to lose someone. My parents left when I was four. They never came back, no news reports, no missing persons, death, nothing. I held my Uncle as he bled to death from a gunshot wound, knowing it was my fault. I watched Tony Stark die after saving the universe. You don't need to worry about losing me just because I tried to save you and your sister, because that's what heroes do."

The next thing Peter felt was a blinding smack to the face, and then being pulled into a hug. Felix buried his face in the crook of his neck, crying. "You ass... All I'm trying to do is keep you alive because I like you, and you can't seem to let me do it."

He reared his head back enough to wipe the snot from his nose with a tissue, and Peter pressed his forehead against his. "I promise, I am going to do everything I can to keep you and your sister safe."

\---------------------------------------------------

After his talk with Felix, Peter went to take a nap, but ended up laying there staring out the window for three hours. What he did for the sake of normalcy ended up landing him in the deepest pit of strangeness since he fought Mysterio.

But after that talk, he couldn't get the idea of protecting Felix and Felicia out of his head. It was all he could think about. Mustering as much focus as he could, he tried to devise a plan, but he kept thinking back to when Felix came into the bathroom and kissed him, and when they first kissed outside the party in Cambridge. His constant thoughts about them together led to him getting even more restless than before.

The door suddenly opened, and Felix stepped in. "Oh, hey, you're awake." Peter nodded, sitting up. "Felicia was tired and fell asleep, so I figured I'd nap too." He sat in the bed next to him, waiting for a response. "Felix, I... I need to tell you something." "Go for it." Peter sat for a moment, silently debating what to say.

"I... I think I like you, a lot. Enough to uh, want things... So I'm wondering if you want to go out on a date or something like that." Felix fell back against the bed and laughed. "Wow, you are something else Parker." Felix sat up. "So, do you always abuse your popularity as Spider-Man to score dates with helpless cute boys you find robbing places?"

"No, you are uh, you're the first. And technically you're the first boy I've tried to score anything with in general." Peter let a smirk cross his face. "Oh goodie, I was starting to worry that there'd be competition. Not that they'd even compare to me." Felix scoffed at the idea before adopting the pose of a stereotypical damsel before falling into Peter's arms. "Oh Spider-Man, you've foiled my crimes and captured me, a criminal! Tie me up, do whatever you want to me, but please, don't hurt me!" He chuckled. "You're probably webbing your pants thinking about tying me up, Parker."

Peter awkwardly looked away, earning a reaction from Felix. "Oh my God, you are! You sick sick man!" Peter looked away again, and Felix sat up in his lap, placing his hands on his cheeks. "Hey, look at me. I'm joking. You're handsome enough that you don't need a date to tie me up." He smirked, and Peter chuckled a little. "So, is that a no on the date?"

"No, but it's a no on you leaving this room before we do something about your little friend that's poking me."

\---------------------------------------------------

Michelle unlocked her apartment door, dropping the bag of groceries on the table next to the door as she turned the lights on. She kicked her shoes off, and headed to her room to change into something more comfortable. The day's stress of running into Peter on the way to her interview, plus a few dickhead subway riders, was taking a toll on her and all she felt like doing was sleeping.

Once she changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt, she put the groceries away and sat on the couch in front of her TV. Suddenly, the lights shut off, and everything went dark for a bit while she fumbled around for the switch. As the lights turned back on, she cursed the absurd utility bill of her apartment.

_"Hello, Michelle."_ The voice rang deep, and echoed in her mind. "Hello? Who are you? _Where_ are you?" She looked around, seeing no one. _"We are down here. See, we have a common enemy... Peter Parker."_ As she looked down to see a dark black puddle on her floor, Michelle felt drawn to it, as if to lie in it. "Peter's not my enemy, we're still pretty good friends."

_"Really, Michelle? There is anger and resentment deep within you, and we feel it. We are the embodiment of wrath, anger, rage, resent, spite! We are Venom! Join us, Michelle, and we will feed on that anger, multiply it! Together, we shall have our revenge on Peter Parker!"_

As though she were compelled by her body and the puddle, Michelle reached out, feeling joy as the symbiote latched onto her.


	8. Meeting New Acquaintances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I know I haven't updated this in over a month, so I worked hard to make this new chapter extra long.

"Peter, wake up. Peter! It's six thirty, we have to leave soon or we'll miss the train and be late." Felix shook him, barely getting a response. "Fine, I guess I'll have to break out my secret weapon." He paused for a moment before hollering "Felicia!" The small girl came running into the room. "Yeah?" "I need you to jump on the bed for me."

"Okay!" She clambered up on the bed, jumping a few times, high enough to touch the ceiling. Peter groaned and pulled the blanket off of himself, letting them know he was awake. Felix pulled his sister off the bed, sitting her down and telling her to run while stifling a giggle.

"Wake me up like that again, and I'll have to do something about you." Felix jumped in his lap, pressing his forehead against Peter's. "Oh yeah? Like what, Mister Superhero?" "Like this." Peter flipped on top of him, and their lips smashed together as they did so. He saw his alarm clock, and lifted off of Felix. "Crap, we gotta go."

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. I called May, she's on her way to pick up Felicia so they can hang out at the shelter. I put out some clothes, get dressed."

\---------------------------------------------------

"Okay, final class of the day, what do you have?" Felix was struggling to keep up with Peter's walking pace as they left the lecture hall he picked him up at. "Uh, Robotics with a Doctor Octavius." "Perfect, I have the same class." "Really?" "Yeah, I'm Doctor Octavius' assistant."

-

Peter stood next to the desk, remotely controlling the prosthetic arm mounted on the stand next to him. "As you can see, this is merely a single way that robotics can affect the world today. While Mister Parker is operating the prosthetic, you can see that it runs with various motors pulling and releasing like muscle fibers, making it move."

For a moment Peter fumbled with the controls as he saw Felix in the back of the room, trying his hardest to tease him through various face and hand movements. He regained his composure, and continued demonstrating the prosthetic.

Doctor Octavius leaned over, whispering to him. "Peter, is the prosthetic good? I noticed it fumbled on the writing demonstration a little." "Oh no, sir, it's fine. I just... I was a little unfocused for a moment." Octavius nodded, and resumed his lecture.

-

"Peter, while I run and get the lab prepped, could you prep the arm to be moved?" Peter nodded, and Doctor Octavius left the room. As he started unplugging the cords and removing the safety bolts, Felix strutted up to the desk and sat on the end near him. "So, how'd you like the class?" Peter easily lifted the arm off of the mount and sat it on the cart next to him, locking it down with a few straps. "It was lame as hell, the people were pretentious, and the professor just drones on and on! But, at least I'm banging his lab partner, so I'll probably end up passing anyways."

Peter's mouth hung open, prompting a hearty laugh from Felix. "Jesus dude, I was joking! It was actually entertaining, seriously! Doctor Octavius seems really nice. You're lucky to be his lab partner." "Lab assistant. He's the scientist, I'm the trainee." Felix lazily kicked his legs, blowing a raspberry. "Trainee, assistant, partner, it's all basically the same thing." Peter stepped closer to the desk, compiling the scattered papers into a stack. "Not really. If we were partners, I'd be getting paid too, and my name would be on the paperwork too. The only similarity is that I'm doing just as much work as if I were his partner."

"Well, either way, you're still just as important. To me at least." Peter chuckled, and firmly planted his hands on the desk. "What are you wanting from me?" Felix slid off the desk, sidling close to him. "I dunno, we haven't really made out at all today." Peter laughed harder, shaking his head. "We just hooked up yesterday, are you expecting us to make out all the time?" Felix got closer, pressing against him. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm just like this because it's you and me, alone, in a public space." He shifted closer with every word. Peter grabbed him by the arms and moved him, bringing Felix between him and the desk. "Well then, we'll just have to do something about that." Grabbing him by the hair, Felix brought him closer. "Stop being a teasing bastard and just kiss me already." He pulled Peter into a kiss, only to be interrupted by the door slamming open. They quickly split apart, and Doctor Octavius ran over to them.

"Peter, you're not gonna believe this." "What is it, Doc?" Felix backed up, letting Peter approach Octavius. "I just got a call from OsCorp... They're giving us a research grant, and a lab in their main building." Peter's jaw dropped, and he cheered along with Octavius. "And, and, and, they've invited us to their investor's gala tonight. You can bring your friend here if you want." Peter nodded. "Oh, Doc, uh, this is Felix, by the way. He's one of your new students, and my uh, boyfriend, I guess." Felix nodded. "Oh. Oh! Hello, it's good to meet you!" Octavius shook his hand. "It's good to meet you too." Octavius nodded, and started wheeling the cart towards the door. "Oh, Peter, change of plans. You go ahead and get ready for the gala, we'll work on the project when we get settled in the new lab." He disappeared through the door, and Peter turned to Felix. "Okay, well I guess I'll call May and see if she'll keep Felicia for a few more hours."

"Alternatively, see if Felicia can stay the night with her, and you and I can have some alone time after the gala." Peter chuckled nervously as Felix dragged a finger along his chest. "I'm not sure I could say no to that."

-

Peter put his phone in his pocket, taking a moment to fix the name tag on his lab coat. "Well, May's cool with Felicia spending the night, but I can't help but feel like we're taking advantage of her generosity." As he was getting dressed in the bedroom, Felix let out a sigh that Peter heard from the living room. "Pete, she's your Aunt, if she wanted to say no, she'd tell you no, it's as simple as that." Peter nodded to himself, and looked up in time to see Felix exit the bedroom, wearing a suit.

He walked over to Peter, fixing his tie for him. "I can't believe you're wearing a damn bow tie." Peter scoffed, faking offense at the comment. "It was my Uncle's." Felix shrugged, straightening the tie. "Are you seriously wearing your suit under your clothes?" "Felix, I'm always wearing it under my clothes when I leave the apartment." "Wow, okay. So, how do I look?" Peter stared for a moment before taking a deep breath "You look very... Handsome? Beautiful? I can't decide on the word." Felix shrugged. "Either works."

"Okay then. You ready to go? Doctor Octavius said that OsCorp is sending a company car to pick us up." "Oh, wow, VIP treatment?" They left the apartment making their way down in time to see a black car pull up. A man in his twenties opened the passenger door, climbing out to greet Peter.

"Mister Parker, Mister..." "Hardy." "I'm Harry Osborn. My father sent me personally to pick you up." He opened the rear door, letting Felix get in before he walked around the car with Peter. "To be honest, my father is excited to get Doctor Octavius working on our campus, but he's just as excited for you to work there too." Peter gave a curious look, stopping in his tracks.

"Why?" Harry looked almost as confused as Peter. "Well, he said you worked for Tony Stark's private internship until he died, and, well, anyone good enough to have worked directly for Stark is the equivalent of a God. At least, that's what he said." Peter laughed. "Well, I'm flattered, but I'm no God." Harry opened the door, and Peter sat inside. He looked Felix, smiling. "Yeah, VIP treatment."

-

Walking into the gala, Peter and Felix were amazed by the size of the place. "When you go to a lot of things like these, they start to look the same, but this... Is something else." "Yeah, this isn't even their main building." Octavius approached them, carrying a drink. "Peter, Felix! You're here, integrate yourselves, meet some people! Peter, some people here are going to be coworkers, superiors, and even potential investors, put a smile on and work your charm."

As Octavius walked away, Felix moved in front of Peter. "How about you talk to some people, and I'm gonna go find the bar, get myself at least a little loose to understand all this talk." "We-we're both underage, Felix." Felix laughed. "Jeez, man, I mean, A: we're at a /gala/, B: literally nobody here cares, because it's a gala and they're more focused on investment discussions, or their stocks, or whatever they're pretentious lives are about. Now, I'm going to get a damn drink, and you need to integrate yourself and be the geeky little science dude you are to these people."

Felix walked away, and Peter turned to see Harry walk up to him. "Peter!" "Harry! Thank God, I was worried I'd have to already start talking to people I don't know or understand." Harry laughed, handing Peter a glass. "Yeah, that's the story of my life. Here, have a drink, it'll make the words flow better."

"Uh, thanks. So, uh, where's your dad at?" "Ah, once again, that's my life, drink to bullshit better and locate my dad every five minutes. I think he's up there, talking to a few D.O.D. guys." "Yeah, that's... That's gotta be fun, huh?" They walked along the few gaps between the crowds, talking about what Peter and Doctor Octavius would be doing in the lab OsCorp is giving them.

"So what about you? What's the Peter Parker story?" Peter shook his head, smiling. "There-there isn't one, I'm just a kid from Queens who got smart and hit it big with an internship." Harry laughed. "No, man, I mean like, who are you? What's your life story?" "I don't know if it's all that interesting, I mean, my parents died when I was little, I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle, he died a few years ago, and then I ended up getting into the Stark Internship a few months later."

"Geez, a wild ride for Peter Parker, huh?" Peter smiled, and took a drink as he slowly scanned the room, looking for Felix. He spotted him, picking pockets as he weaved through the crowd. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go speak to someone." He moved between tables and crowds, reaching Felix quickly. He grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him close. "What the hell are you doing?" "I don't know, what do you think I'm doing?"

"Uh, well, it looks like you're stealing things from people." Felix dropped his smile, looking Peter in the eyes. "So? What're you gonna do about it?" Peter grimaced, giving Felix a stern look. "Listen, you're gonna put all that back, and then you're gonna go find Harry and stay with him for about five minutes so I can talk to his dad and then we can get out of here." "Make me, Parker." "Felix, I don't have time for this."

"Fine. I'll go put it all back." Felix walked away, quickly dropping wallets and money clips back in pockets and purses as he headed for Harry. "Alrighty, now to find Mister Osborn." He passed through the crowd, spotting Osborn doing the same. "Mister Osborn!" Peter hollered for his attention as he squeezed through a pair of tables.

"Peter Parker! It's good to finally meet you. How are you?" Peter took his hand, shaking it. "H-hello Mister Osborn, I'm doing fine." "Oh, please, call me Norman." Peter leaned next to him, fixing his name tag. "Um, Norman, sir, I just wanted to say hello before I had to leave.” Norman chuckled, sitting his drink down. “Leaving already?” Peter nodded. “My Aunt is watching my roommate’s sister, we need to get out of here so we can pick her up.” It was far from the truth, but a necessary lie to get out quick. “Well, before you go, I want you to know how happy I am that you and Doctor Octavius decided to take up our offer and come work with OsCorp.” “As am I sir. I am so sorry, but I really have to leave.” Peter drew his phone from his pocket, pretending to receive a message before shaking Norman’s hand and walking over to where Felix and Harry stood near the door. “Hey Harry, you think you could take us home? My Aunt is watching Felix’s sister and we need to go to the apartment so she can bring her back.” “Yeah, totally, I’ll go get the car ready.”

Peter walked out of the building, keeping a tight grip on Felix's arm. "What the hell were you thinking, grabbing people's money?" He spoke to him as Harry headed for the car, out of earshot. "I just... I saw the opportunity, and I thought that maybe if I got some money and gave it to the Maggia, they might leave me and Felicia alone." Peter looked down, shaking his head. "I-I... Look, I understand, but you can't just steal-"

Feeling a tingle run down his spine, Peter took up a defensive stance, pushing Felix behind him. The building suddenly exploded, launching them both backwards. Harry ran to them, helping them up. "Are you guys alright?" Peter regained his balance, standing straight. “Yeah. Listen, stay here with Felix, I’ll be back.” He ran off behind the building to change, swinging around in his suit to reach the front door. “Are you two alright?” He already knew the answer, but did it to save face. “Yeah, we’re alright.” “Good, you need to call for help, I’ll be back.” Harry and Felix watched as Peter ran into the burning building, clearing the collapsed pillars. Thick clouds of smoke blocked his view and made it difficult to breathe, which made the scene even more dangerous. “Hello! Is anyone here? Is anyone okay?” He didn’t hear anyone, which made him anxious. He used his webs to pull himself to the ceiling, hoping to punch a big enough hole in it to let some smoke out and clear the building.

He managed it, getting a clear opening for the smoke to escape before dropping back to the floor. It was easier to see now, although the smoke was still dense enough that he could only see so far. Lifting rubble off of a few people he found, Peter directed them to the door, sending them to wait with Felix and Harry. A voice called out nearby, and he went searching for it, finding a few people trapped under a large table. He threw it to the side, letting them escape. “Spider-Man, help!” A couple of men trying to lift a massive chunk of a wall that collapsed called out to him, and he went to help. Together, they lifted the wall enough for the people trapped underneath to crawl out and run out of the building. “Alright, I need you guys to help me locate anyone else trapped, but if you can’t it’s fine if you just get out, no one will blame you.” Peter continued moving through the smoke, helping people out. “Spider-Man, here!” Peter turned around to see Felix wearing his Black Cat suit and mask, leading a crew of firefighters through the rubble. “What’re you doing here?” Felix got closer, speaking quietly. “Thought I’d play good guy for once. I’m stronger than you think.”

The firefighters, Felix, and Peter managed to make their way through the destruction, finding many survivors, including Norman Osborn. What was more unfortunate was the amount of people they found dead. Peter and Felix focused more on using their strength to clear rubble for people to escape, while the firefighters searched for survivors. What felt like hours passed, and they managed to get every survivor out, dead or alive.

-

Once everyone was out and law enforcement took over the scene, Peter and Felix got out and went to a nearby roof. “What the hell happened back there?” Felix was the first to speak, breaking the silence between the two. “I don’t know, one second everything was fine, and then suddenly that explosion happened.” Felix sat next to him on the edge, putting a hand on his thigh. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” “Yeah, I’m glad you’re okay too.” Felix pulled Peter’s mask up enough to reveal his mouth and kissed him, unaware they were being watched.


End file.
